


Sole Searching

by Shootmesenpai



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Bromance, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, Just Friends, M/M, Mild Language, Shoe Shopping, Shopping, akashi makes a joke, weird friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 11:21:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11622486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shootmesenpai/pseuds/Shootmesenpai
Summary: Aomine attempts to go shoe shopping but instead, he finds Akashi Seijuurou. A possibly perfect friendship begins to blossom.





	Sole Searching

**Author's Note:**

> This was an idea a friend and I had a long time ago about Aomine and Akashi becoming best buds. They are polar opposites and the idea of them hanging out was too funny not to write out. This is the fruit of that and I hope you all enjoy their awkward interaction.

Aomine left his house a little after 1 in the afternoon. He had only woken up an hour ago and his hair was still unkempt, his breath still fresh with the smell of day-old refrigerator pizza. Aomine had his hands in his pockets as he strolled down the street towards the Tokyo mall.

He tried his best to walk at a normal pace and act as relaxed as possible but today wasn’t just a normal day off of school; no, he was a man on a mission. That mission was to finally buy the new Jordan Superfly 2’s that he had been eyeing up for months.

Usually, he would just buy the newest pair right away; but he had previously splurged a little too much on 3 pairs of the same Nike Kyrie all in different colors.

That splurge meant he had to save up all over again just afford one new pair of Jordan’s. But the time had finally come, and he couldn’t wait to feel them on his feet. The feeling of that full-length zoom air, that cushion in each step, the support on the ankles.

Aomine was noticeably excited just thinking about it. The hands in his pockets were twitching and he could barely contain his elation. The only thing that usually got him this excited were a new idol magazine or an opponent that was actually worth more than a second of his time.

Aomine was lost in thought when he felt a chill run down his spine. He always had great instincts for a variety of situations. On many occasions, they had gotten him out of some pretty life or death taste test days with Momoi in the past.

He tried to remain cool and collected while surveying the surrounding area. Then, he suddenly spotted the source of his unease. On the far end of the street stood Akashi Seijuro.

The bright haired boy was getting out of a car that looked like it cost more than his house, the very sight just made Aomine roll his eyes. Aomine watched carefully from behind a cafe sign as Akashi closed the car door and walked casually to the entrance of the mall.

Aomine just started cursing quietly to himself as he reassessed his plan. He definitely wasn’t in the mood for an awkward conversation with his former captain. It’s not that he hated Akashi or anything and now that the winter cup was over things were relatively back to normal.

It’s just that he and Akashi were two different breeds of human, or it may be more accurate to say that they are from opposing planets found on the furthest reaches of the universe. They had no common interests other than basketball and Akashi’s do-gooder attitude never sat well with him.

When they were in Teiko, Akashi only spoke to Aomine out of necessity as the captain and Aomine knew that in most cases Akashi only saw him as a weapon for victory. That was all in the past but their lack of meaningful face to face conversations just cemented the notion that Aomine wanted to avoid an unplanned run-in.

While he attempted to think of a new plan Aomine felt another chill run up his spine. Aomine stiffened up and looked back at the mall entrance. Not even 10 minutes had passed since he walked in and already Akashi was back out front waiting at the curb. He had a bag in hand and looked as though he was waiting for his ride to circle back around.

Aomine was trying to wrap his head around how Akashi was able to get in and out of the giant shopping complex so quickly when the expensive car pulled back up to the entrance. Akashi slowly got back in and the car drove away.

Aomine just stared and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Now that he longer had to devise a new plan of action, he casually stepped out from behind the sign that had protected him from Akashi’s all seeing eyes. His hands back in his pockets Aomine knew exactly where he was headed.

\-----------------

Aomine walked into his favorite shoe shop, as he entered he could smell the fresh scent of new leather and rubber. He wouldn’t call the scent orgasmic, but it was the first word that came to mind.

He walked past the checkout counter and the man behind the register gave a casual head nod. Aomine was here on a fairly regular basis so most of the employees knew him, his tan skin and tall physique were hard to forget.

Aomine strolled up to the wall of basketball shoes and in the top corner he saw the prize. His precious Jordan Superfly 2’s were calling to him, he wasn’t sure if his eyes were deceiving him but he could have sworn he saw them glowing.

He reached up and grabbed the display shoe to really get a feel for the shape and weight of them. They felt perfect in his hand, he rubbed his fingers along the lacing, the threads that held each carefully constructed piece, the cushioned sole. It all felt….fuck it...it was orgasmic.

It was getting progressively harder to hold back his exhilaration. He held the display shoe close to his side as he swiftly turned around to ask the attendant for his size. He needed to feel these things on his feet and get that cushion to hug every inch of him.

He spun around quickly, so quickly that he didn’t realize someone was standing beside him. Aomine bumped into them and immediately looked down to apologize. He looked down and there he was; Akashi Seijurou.

Aomine almost cussed out loud when he saw the pink-haired boy standing there. Akashi just looked up and smiled.

“Good afternoon Aomine, what a pleasant surprise to see you here.” Akashi continued to smile and Aomine was frozen in place, entirely at a loss for words.

“Umm…..yea, a surprise is one way to put it.”

Aomine just looked at the floor and scratched the back of his head. A nervous tick that would surely make him a terrible poker player.

“I was here very recently to get a pair of shoes but I appear to have gotten the wrong size. I had heard from Kuroko that this particular location had a great selection of high-quality shoes fitted for practical uses such as basketball.” Akashi gave a once over of the store with his sharp eyes.

“Fuckin; Tetsu gave away my prime shoe spot.” Aomine whispered quietly under his breath while thinking about how hard he was gonna hit Tetsu when he saw him next.

Akashi also said “recently”, he was just here like 15 minutes ago how the hell did he pick the wrong size? Guess that’s what happens when you think you know everything and only spend a second in a store. Idiot.

Akashi looked back at him and Aomine quickly changed the subject.

“Well this place is pretty far from Kyoto, please tell me you didn’t buy a plane ticket just to come get some shoes?” Aomine just raised an eyebrow and looked back down at Akashi.

“That is precisely what I have done. Is there some fault in that? Kyoto is a wonderful location for many cultural landmarks but unfortunately the selection of specialty shoes, to the extent that this shop offers, is lacking.”

Akashi just stood there like buying a plane ticket for the sole purpose to get some shoes was no big deal. Aomine tried his hardest not to roll his eyes. He glanced over at the shoes Akashi was holding and he tried to hold back his laughter, but the shoe snob in him couldn’t hold back.

“Ahahahah dude you buy a plane ticket to Tokyo and come to the best shoe place in town and those are the pair you go with?” Aomine straightened back up and shot Akashi a judgmental glance.

“I don’t understand the source of your amusement. These shoes have been praised in several reviews for their superior performance in a variety of practical tests. I have chosen them specifically based on these studies.”

Akashi appeared puzzled and Aomine just tilted his head up and smirked. The guy knew nothing about shoes. Aomine was actually taken aback, he thought Akashi knew everything about...pretty much everything.

“You don’t pick shoes based off reviews alone, like those help but you gotta feel the shoes on your feet. I’m into Jordan’s and they work for me but all players don’t wear the same brand.”

Aomine showed the display shoe to Akashi. It wasn't long before Aomine began a passionate speech on the importance of shoe selection to fucking Akashi “know-it-all” Seijuro.

“See these Jordans, they have low back ankle support which helps mobility and cushion support for soft landings and switch-ups. If someone who just shoots three’s got these then it would just be a waste. Plus you gotta pick a pair that feels right and doesn’t look lame as hell.”

Aomine picked up the shoe Akashi had chosen, they were a pair made for a power forward not a point guard like Akashi. It would have been completely useless.

“You are surprisingly knowledgeable about this subject matter. It appears I should have contacted you when looking for a new pair of shoes instead of asking Kuroko.”

“What the hell do you mean by surprisingly? Are you trying to call me stupid?”

Akashi appeared to smirk for a moment before going back to looking at him with a straight face.

Aomine had gotten caught up in his excitement to talk shoes that he forgot who he was talking to. All he could think was…”Shit, what have I gotten myself into now?”

Aomine knew he had to get out and fast, he tried to think of a good excuse to leave but he still needed to try on the Jordan’s. His only option was to just leave and hope that Akashi was bored with him by now.

Aomine just turned away and lifted one hand up in a pose of finality.

“Okay, so I’m gonna go now. The shoes you got....I mean those shoes look dumb but... I’m sure they’re fine. People think you’re great anyway so it doesn’t really matter. Good luck with those, see ya.”

Aomine tried to head to his original destination, hoping that Akashi would just ignore him like usual and go on his merry way. He knew that was too good to be true though, he had fucked himself and he knew that Akashi wasn’t going to let him off that easy.

In a matter of seconds Akashi was beside him again, he lightly touched Aomine’s arm.

“Aomine, if I can have another moment of your time then I may have a proposition for you.”

Aomine stopped in his tracks, he didn’t turn around, he just froze and listened to what his former captain had to say.

“If you would assist me in selecting a pair of appropriate shoes then I will play a game of one-on-one with you.”

Aomine turned and looked at him in the eye, no need to avoid them this time, he wanted to know if he was serious. Akashi always turned down single games, he was either too busy or everyone was too afraid to face him after what he did to Murasakibara in Teiko.

“Are you serious? If I just help you pick out some shoes then you’ll play a game. It has to be at 100% cause it ain’t worth it if you go easy.”

“I assure you Aomine that I can not afford to go easy on you. If I were to do that then the game would most likely be over in an instant. Well Aomine, do we have a deal then?”

Aomine was still extremely skeptical, this would be the first one-on-one that they ever had and he didn’t want to miss the opportunity but Akashi was also giving off this creepy aura like he was up to something. He didn’t have a choice, he had to know.

“Okay, yeah we got a deal. You better not back out or I’m gonna punch you, the others may be afraid of you but I don’t fall into that group. I won’t go easy on you either.”

Akashi only smiled and held out his hand, “I would never dream of breaking our deal Aomine, I look forward to our time together.”

Aomine hesitantly shook his hand. Why did this feel like he just made a deal with the devil or something?

The two of them walked to the back of the store, Aomine still carrying his precious cargo and Akashi holding the bag of previously purchased shoes. Aomine figured he should start acting like he knew stuff or this singles game wasn’t gonna happen.

“So are you getting a new pair cause your old ones are dead or because you think they suck?”

Akashi was silent for a moment, he appeared in thought. Likely thinking out his answer clearly before replying.

“The thought of shoes enhancing my performance never really crossed my mind previously. I play basketball with the theory that the body itself needs to be in top condition as well as the mind. I believed that those qualities were all that was truly required, it wasn’t until recently after my loss at the winter cup that I really consider other avenues to improving my form. I have read many studies and used a variety of resources to discover the percentage to which shoes actually assist with a player's game. Research reveals that, though not always, it does seem to give a certain edge to individual skills.”

Aomine just stood there looking at him. Could the guy sound any more pretentious? He was gonna just let it go but if they were gonna be spending the afternoon doing this then he had to figure out a way to have a normal conversation.

“Could you be anymore long-winded? Just say that your old ones suck and move on. Why do you have to make these lengthy explanations on simple shit.”

Akashi was the one that looked confused this time. It was probably one of the first times anyone wasn’t kissing his ass the whole time. Aomine thought for sure the one-on-one might be called off after that but instead, Akashi just smiled again.

That would be the third smile of their encounter today. Aomine was beginning to worry.

“I apologize, I will try to be more brief and concise in the future. Thank you for pointing out that flaw, not many people are willing to do such things. At least to my face.”

Aomine wasn’t sure if he was being sincere or snarky. Was that humor?

Aomine just looked at Akashi for a moment. The bright-haired boy was still smiling happily while looking at the shoes. Aomine really wasn’t used to this at all.

“It’s no problem….I guess. It just makes people feel stupid if you talk to them like it’s a job interview or something all the time.”

“I was not aware that I made others feel uncomfortable, no one has ever said such a thing to me.”

Aomine figured that’s what was going one. Everyone too scared or intimidated by his money to let him know that he was being a weirdo. Aomine kinda felt bad for a moment before he remembered what an asshole he used to be sometimes.

“Well, it’s not just the way you talk but it’s that weird thing you used to do all the time.” Aomine made wavy hand motions for no apparent reason.

“May I ask what you are referring to?” Akashi looked notably perplexed.

“You know, that weird thing where your fucking eyes are just wide open and creeping people out. I know that was like, a different version of you but that was weird as hell. Now you just make people uncomfortable cause you act so perfect all the time. No one wants to hang out with a fucking super human. Just relax, maybe cuss sometimes or I don’t know….slouch or something.”

Aomine was being 100% serious and Akashi just looked at him and laughed. Akashi Fucking Seijurou just laughed, as in, out loud, in public. Aomine can honestly not remember a time that Akashi had ever laughed this loud, even in Teiko before the fallout occurred. Not a single time.

“Are you gonna be okay? You just laughed pretty loud, can your body handle something like that?” Aomine was half-joking and half legitimately concerned.

Akashi finally stopped laughing and gracefully went back to his calm composure.

“I assure you Aomine that I am very much alright. I will admit though it has been quite some time since I have laughed to that extent. Your honesty is something I used to find somewhat rude, but the truth is that I find it quite refreshing. I don’t usually spend time with others who think as you do and I can see now that that choice has isolated me from a large number of people. I’m very much enjoying our time together so far today.”

Aomine was just standing there in the shoe store, Jordan still in hand and he was extremely confused. Was Akashi bonding with him? Was he opening up and having a meaningful conversation right now?

Aomine and Akashi didn’t have anything close to a true friendship but if someone were to look in from the outside at this moment then it would appear as if one was forming. Aomine wasn’t sure what to do, opening up wasn’t his thing so he wasn’t about to reciprocate. He thought about just changing the subject but that seemed like it would be a bit too abrupt.

He just looked at Akashi and sighed, “Hanging out with you is weird, but it doesn’t suck as much as I thought it would. Let's check out some shoes, I’m not letting you get out of this one-on-one later so don’t think you can talk forever and bail.”

Akashi still smiled and nodded his head in acceptance, the two of them continued looking at shoes for the next two hours. Aomine looked at the time and he couldn’t believe it, it was nearly dinner time and they were just now leaving the mall.

\-------------------

Each of the boys had their purchase in hand. Aomine had his precious Jordan Superfly 2’s and Akashi had chosen the Nike Kobe 11 Elites. A great shoe for point forwards, he even got it in a color other than white.

The new pair had red and black detailing along the side, they were nice and lightweight with nothing too flashy. Usually the price on a pair of shoes like that kept people away but obviously, the concept of money was nothing to Akashi.

The two boys walked towards the nearest basketball court. They set down their recent purchases near a tree and Akashi looked around at the surroundings.

“It is quite a nice evening for a game. It is unfortunate that neither of us brought a ball along though. Perhaps there is someone nearby that we can borrow one from. I could also call the car around to purchase one from a nearby shop.”

At that moment Aomine disappeared into the tree that was shielding their belongings. Akashi peered up into the tree to see Aomine climbing his way up the thicket of branches.

“Aomine? May I ask why you have decided to climb this tree? Did you lose something?”

Aomine yelled down from within the grouping of branches; “You don’t have to ask me to ask a question, just fucking ask it.”

Aomine began descending the tree, he dropped back down onto the ground with a basketball in hand. Akashi smiled and pointed up into the tree.

“Is that a secret hiding spot? Or do all frequenters of this court know about this basketball storage location?”

“Oh, this?” Aomine lifted the basketball up to appear in between them. “This is one from my personal stash, I try to keep one at most of the courts around here. You never know when you’ll meet someone strong who’s up to play.”

“That is very forward-thinking of you Aomine.” Akashi swiftly stole the ball and dribbled past Aomine.

“Hey, are you mocking my superior intellect of something? Even your smart-ass knows that’s a good idea.” Aomine ran up to Akashi who stood in the middle of the court dribbling the ball in a perfectly rhythmic pattern.

“You better go 100% Baka-shi, you remember what I said earlier right?”

Akashi seemed to enjoy the nickname, his eyes sharped instantly and Aomine knew he was going to get serious. Aomine was trying hard to hide his excitement, his smile widened and his stance lowered.

Arms lay relaxed at his side, Akashi looked him in the eyes; “You sure you still want to play, it has been quite a long day.”

“Shut-up and go, I’m gonna kick your ass if you leave me waiting any longer.”

At that, the match began. A small crowd gathered as the two boys ran circles around one another. Each smiling and laughing as the other scored, openings available for fractions of a second. Neither one missing the opportunity to speed past, rocketing towards the basket.

They had been playing for well over an hour, each of them playing at 100% and not losing it for a moment. Akashi stole the ball and sped for the hoop when he just stopped and held the ball in both hands.

Aomine nearly ran him over as he halted to a stop from a full run. Akashi just turned and faced him with an expression that looked close like disappointment, possibly guilt.

“Dude why did you stop? It was just getting good.” Aomine lifted up his shirt to wipe sweat from his forehead. He was breathing heavy but it quickly evened out and he just looked down at Akashi.

“I apologize, I did not realize I would have so much fun playing this game with you. As a result of that I did not notice the time that has passed. As I stated before, I caught a plane out her for the day and unfortunately that plane will be departing back to Kyoto soon.”

Akashi looking noticeably upset about this, he held the ball low and Aomine went up and took it from his hands.

“I bet you’re only saying that cause you knew you were gonna lose. Well whatever, this just means when you’re back in town you owe me a game. When that happens you better not back out with some lame excuse again.”

“I would very much like that Aomine. I have greatly enjoyed the time we have spent together today. I was correct in my choice to follow you back into the mall this afternoon. This proved to not only be an informative day but also one filled with lasting memories.”

Aomine was just spinning the ball, half listening.

“Man, what did I say about the long explanations for simple shit. Just agree to a rematch and we're good”

Aomine continued to spin the basketball when he realized what Akashi had just said.

“Waitttttttt, did you just say that you followed me back into the mall? What the hell? That is some super creepy stalker shit. Is that why you only went into the mall for like 10 minutes earlier?”

Akashi just turned and smiled at Aomine.

“As I expected, you were watching me from behind that cafe sign. You are aware that you are very hard to miss Aomine. You stand out quite a bit from the average Japanese citizen. I suspected that you saw me and would not enter the mall voluntarily if I was present so I choose to leave and then return after you had entered. We do not have many opportunities to speak to one another individually and I did not want to squander this chance.”

Aomine just sat there silently, he honestly had no idea what to say.

“Aomine, would it be alright for me to contact you when I require advice on footwear in the future? Your knowledge proved to be an indispensable asset and I would also like to talk with you more….as a friend.”

The word friend definitely caught Aomine off guard for a moment but he wasn’t as put off by the idea as he would have been this morning. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but he also had a nice day hanging out with Akashi. No one would believe it but that was the truth.

“Yeah, I guess we can hang again, just chill with the friend stuff. I ain’t looking to get mushy, plus I guess we were…...kinda……. friends or whatever already. You better not forget that our match isn’t settled”

Aomine scratched the back of his head and scowled a bit at his own comment.

“I would never dream of getting “mushy” Aomine. I suppose it is now the time for me to take my leave. I look forward to our future dates Aomine, you truly are quite the gentleman.”

Aomine froze up, a blush ran across his face and his eyes opened wide.

“D-d-d-date? Uhh, I don’t know what the hell you're thinking but uhh I think you got the wrong idea...uhhhhh.” Aomine was literally awestruck.

Akashi just laughed under his breath. He looked like he was attempting to keep a calm composure but it failed instantly. Aomine couldn’t believe it.

“Oh my god. Did you just make a fucking joke?” Aomine couldn’t hold back his laughter. The joke had scared the shit out of him but he had to admit it was good.

“I apologize, was that too crude? It seemed appropriate.”

“No, it was actually pretty solid. There may be hope for you yet Baka-shi.”

They both stood still. Aomine finally lifted his hand and held out a fist. Akashi took a moment to stare at the hand before him. He looked up at Aomine and smiled, he brought up his fist and their knuckles met.

They held it there for a minute before the two boys turned in their opposing directions, both illuminated by the street lamps guiding their way.

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me anytime on [Tumblr](http://shootmesenpai.tumblr.com/).


End file.
